Tag: dogs

After a bunch of personal issues. I really wanted my own dog. We have had family dogs over the years. At the time my mom had her dog. My brother had his and I really wanted my own. I went looking on Kijiji which is an ad based website.

The ad basically said 8month old Pomchi, looking to rehome her because of moving and can’t bring her. Comes with leash, Blanket, food and litter box.

Diva was litter box trained lol.

On May 3rd 2008 my father and I drove to go get her. There was still some snow on the grounds. The boyfriend invited us in. His girlfriend didn’t want to be there because she was attached to her. Diva looked at me and I looked at her and it was love at first sight. I picked her up in my arms and she settled right in. She was around 11lbs so she was a good weight.

Little did we know she had a tinkling problem. Her blatter would just empty out. It wasn’t a nervous habit. She didn’t even know she would let urin out. It was a minor flaw the owners didn’t mention. The vets we had taken her to at the time said they could try surgery but it wouldn’t necessarily fix the issue. Over the course in the beginning we tried everything from antibiotics to hormones nothing would fix the problem but the older she got the less of a mess she would make. She would get butt baths for the rest of her life just to make the area clean.

When I got her her name was Daisy personally I didn’t think it fit her personality and before that it was Spritzer. Not sure what they were thinking when they called her that. To me she looked like a Diva. She really was a Diva in every sense of the word.

Like I said she was litter box trained but then as she got taller her butt would hang over the side of it so I had to use potty pads next too it. Then I just started using them instead of the litter box. And then eventually she went outside and did her business with the other dogs in the backyard.

She grew up with a Cocker Spaniel named Duchess and a Pittbull named Addie.

Her and Addie became literally best friends. They were pretty much inseparable, always wanting to be together. If my brother took Addie for a walk Diva would cry. They played hard and they slept together a lot.

Diva was pretty easy to train, tricks were easy. I taught her how to walk off leash. Sit,stay & come. She was the most amazing dog ever. She never had any real health problems and till later in life.

She used to get car sick as a puppy and would vomit every time we took a car ride. So I’d have to bring a garbage bag with me just in case. Thankfully she grew out of it after a while lol.

I remember one time my brother and I went to the river. And his and my dog would go swimming. She loved that. Though I did have to bath her when we got home. I was lucky because Diva really didn’t mind getting bathed or even butt bathed and I’d use the blow dryer on her and she really didn’t mind. Plus she would get treats after so it was a win win.

Sadly tho later on a bunch of years later. My parents dog would have to go to Rainbow Bridge because of old age and a very high heart murmur she was almost 16years old. R.I.P..

Dutchess had moved with us from Pickering to Ottawa. She wasn’t a huge fan of Diva who would never let her play with toys and most the time either Diva would take them or Addie did.

Unfortunately a year or two passed tho my memory isn’t the greatest on exactly when but my brothers dog became very ill and had to join Dutchess. It was one of the worst days ever. R.I.P.

Diva was a tad lost for a while without Addie she knew she wasn’t feeling well. As time went on she then became the Queen of the house. She was pretty content playing with all the toys. After a while my parents wanted to get another dog. So they did, a little cute bundle of joy named Sophie. A King Charles Cavalier Spaniel.

How cute was she as a puppy. I fell in love with her right away. Like how could you not. Diva and her became the best of friends.

Then my parents got a second dog named Sasha she is a CavaPoo so a cross of a King Charles Cavalier and a Toy Poodle.

Diva wasn’t a huge fan of the new puppy, but she did eventually put up with her just enough that they would get a long, though more on Divas terms. And it had to be Diva’s idea to start the play other wise it just wasn’t going to happen.

Also before Diva was shaved down to her lioness cut & her alopecia kicked in. Her full fluffy fur coat looked like this. It was just gorgeous and super soft,

Here she is with her lioness cut

So because of her tinkling problem she ended up getting these red sores on her backend. Because her fur was so thick and long it was hard to keep the area dry. And instead of listening to my mother to just have her back area trimmed. I had her cut all over. Her fur did grow back though it took a long time.

And then her fur became thin. Her tail never grew back fully and she developed alopecia. Her fur did thin out all over. And her tail was pretty sad looking. Her and I ended up moving to an apartment and we would visit my parents house every weekend. Honestly there really isn’t many dogs around and I think she got a bit depressed. Except when I took her to the park to play. As you see above in that photo. She loved playing in the park and run off leash. She had the best smile ever!

Diva has been with me for almost 11 years. She’s been through brake ups, surgeries, moves, a fire, amazing times and memories.

So miss Diva was due for her annual checkup but she also had some blood in her stool last week. I also thought she had a mass in her left side near her hip joint.

The scoop, the mass is a over developed muscle so not a mass at all. Her anal glands were super full so much so it was dark brown paste. The vet emptied them. Her heart rate is normal nothing has changed with the murmur. She has arthritis in her right leg higher up nothing to crazy tho.

The vet recommended she eat cooked plain beef and white rice for a few days to see if The mucus poop goes normal. There hasn’t been much blood since and it’s not a ton nor is it everyday. But a few small meals of the beef and rice a day.

She did get into that trash two weeks ago when I was out doing burlesque. So we think it might be something she consumed.

So Miss Diva went to the vet, the lump that I found was nothing to worry about just normal aging. Her thyroid was lower than normal so now she’s taking medication for it. It was tested recently and it was then quite high but now she’s taking half a pill every 12 hours. She will have to remain on this medication for the remaining of her life.

Also sure some days she will play more than others but the biggest improvement was a few days were milder and we went on some pretty long walks like we use to last year and she did great. Didn’t even have to carry her so I was very happy about that.

She also had these spots of patches of fur loss/dryness stuff happening they we’re swobbed and everything came back normal from the test that took place. But a few days after I found a few spots that were bigger and one was very dark coloured on her neck to which I took photos and sent them to the vet.

Diva is now taking antibiotics to clear that stuff up. I have cleaned the spots here and there. I’m hoping it clears it up other wise more blood work will have to take place and find out the underlining cause. At first we thought it was the thyroid but now the vet thinks it’s a anti viral issue.

On the positive side of things she finally pooped on her potty patch yesterday which I was thrilled about. It was pretty icy yesterday evening so I was happy to not have to go out with her. She has used her potty patch many times to pee. But yesterday was he first time she pooped. Yay diva lol.

I called the vet to find out what I could do for divas weight. They recommended that I give her less treats and see how that goes. An acquaintance of mine who would give Diva dog treats every time we saw her and her dog. She lives close by and very close to the path I walk her on. Anyways I was getting concerned because it was like she wasn’t losing enough weight but once I cut back on the amount of treats she was getting as well me giving her she’s really dropped down.

I recently weighted her and she’s sitting at 18.6 pounds. Which is awesome because her ideal weight is 17.5 so she’s a lot closer now to before which was 19.4. I’m extremely happy and can tell she’s lost weight because when I pick her up she’s lighter. I know it’s not good on senior dogs for them to be over weight or any dog for that matter.

I want her to be as healthy as possible and that means cut back on the treats she gets. I did inform my friend to give less snacks because Diva needs a cut back. She respects it which is awesome.

I noticed it today when I took her for her morning walk. Not sure how long it’s been going on for and the only reason I noticed today was because of a leaf she happened to pee on. Of course I did what most people do I went to PetMD.com and looked it up.

And yes I did make a call to my vet for Saturday to go get this checked out. Because we can’t have Diva getting sick on me just yet. I’m crossing my fingers it’s nothing to serious. But at the same time I can also get these red spots checked out as well. I’m pretty sure they are from the urine she constantly does and then it goes onto her skin. I have been using antibacterial soap and antibiotic ointment for the red marks to heal them. After shaving down some of the area so it can get dried out. But this morning I noticed new spots. I’m kinda confused about that. Anyways all will be looked at come Saturday morning.

Of course any time your dog or cat has something we worry because that’s what us pet parents do. They are our kids practically. Some people have human kids and some have pet kids. I’ve been extremely lucky that Divas never been really sick before. The only thing medically I’ve really had to deal with was her urine issue that she’s had since she was little a her having 11 small teeth removed. As far as being sick she’s been super healthy. The last time we were at the vet they said she had a small like 1 level heart murmur but that’s it. Of course when ever you read something on the net that your dog could have we go right for the worst instead of the not so bad. Must be a brain thing or a worry thing I dunno. But I’m really hoping it’s just a urine tract infection that can be dealt with antibiotics.

Question? Are you a dog owner? If you are than this post is for you. Do you ever wish there was something to protect your dogs legs and underbelly from rain, dirt, mud, snow. Do you have a dog with a white coat, fluffy, long or even curly? Do you wish there was something you could get to protect your dog from all of it and still have them dry?. If the answer is yes to any of it then keeping reading.

Everyone that knows me knows that Diva is fluffy white and blonde and it pains me to have to walk her when it’s raining, after it’s rained and when it’s snowy and slushy. Well I found an amazing product online.

(Tired of spending all that time cleaning your pet after going out for a walk? Now with the Muddy Mutts Dog Apparel you don’t have to!

Muddy Mutts Dog Apparel are perfect for all seasons. They are not a fashion garment, but rather an essential piece of outdoor clothing, intended to protect your dog from the elements and make their owners life a little bit easier.

Muddy Mutts are perfect to be worn on their own or they can be combined with a fleece-lined, waterproof dog rain coat or any other dog coat or jacket for all-over protection. Add dog boots that won’t fall off and the coverage is complete.

From head to toe, (or should we say tail), your dog will stay clean and dry no matter what the weather.)

I bought Diva Muddy Mutts and even though st first she was like “WTH” but she quickly was fine with them so much so that it rained last night and this morning it’s still kinda wet out the grass is wet and there are some puddles. I snapped a photo of her wearing her Muddy Mutts.

As you can see above it has four reflectors on the cuffs. Velcro to tighten around the ankles and three clips that go over the upper body. One on the back, middle and shoulders. You can add booties if you wish as well a coat. I put her harness on first then the suit and collar. They can still use the bathroom perfectly fine for males or female. And it comes in black and bright yellow. They ship worldwide and they give you measuring instructions on their site. Diva is a small with longer legs. And there sizes are from XX-Small to X-Large. They respond to emails pretty quickly and I’m so glad I found these because I hate having to bath her every-time it’s gross out.

When we got back in this morning and I took Muddy Mutts off her. The only part that had a little water was her feet. The rest of Divas body was dry. I can hear the angels sing lol. It’s like finally something that works.

I’m not being paid for this post or compensated in any way and bought this product with my own money.

So before going on Vacation I got a text then I got an email followed by a postcard saying it was time for her examination and updated vaccines. One being a booster shot for her rabies shot she got last year called DHPP and another bordetella shot which is if she gets boarded. After doing some major reading about over vaccination and talking to a very close friend I’ve decided diva doesn’t need them. Apparently after their first set of shots as puppy’s they really don’t need yearly or every three year shots. Even though some country’s or states demand they get their rabies shots.

I called my vet and spoke to the vet tech. I asked why Diva needed the DHPP shot. The vet tech said its one of the core shots. I told her she had her rabies shot last year, she will be 9 years this month we as humans don’t get boosters every year I really don’t think she needs a booster. She agreed. I also said she got her bordetella shot last year, she goes to Petsmart once in a while, what’s the shot for. She said its if she gets boreded. I said she really doesn’t and I don’t want to give my dog that shot. I did say I’d bring her to get examined but the shots I’m not doing. She said she would put it into the file.

A very good friend of mine who knows a lot about animals said to me her dogs and cats get their first set of shots as puppies or kittens and then that’s about it. Since moving to a farm though she did have one of them get a rabies shot but other wise doesn’t vaccinate yearly or every three years and will only bring them to the vet if it’s major other wise they have never had a problem health wise.

Also from what I have read vets for the most part push unnecessary vaccinations on animal owners to get paid. And animals Immune systems are pretty tolerable in fighting off things. We as humans don’t need yearly vaccinations. Some people get the flue shot yearly while others don’t. It’s not mandatory and it’s up to each and everyone to do what they want to do.

Diva is super healthy with a small heart murmur. And ever since her dental work before I moved she’s in great shape. Sure she’s slowing down some but she’s pretty damn healthy. And I’d like to keep her that way. I would suggest to any pet parent to read up on vaccinations lots of info about over doing it and the like. The more informed you are the better.